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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

St Benedict, in his Rule, makes it clear that he wanted all of the psalms to be said every week by his monks. The vast majority of the psalms are, of course, said but once each week. A select few, however, are given a more privileged place in his Office, and it is at some of those that I propose to take a look at over the next few weeks.

This post will provide something of an overview; I will then look go back and take a more detailed look at each of them (skipping fairly quickly past those I've previously discussed in detail). I plan to get through those for Matins and Lauds over May and June. At that point I'll decide whether to take a break from the repeated psalms (and perhaps look at Thursday Vespers), or continue on (feel free to provide me with feedback on your preferences at any point).

THE REPEATED PSALMS

It is worthwhile, firstly, just to list out what the repeated psalms of the Benedictine Office are.

First, some individual verses (Psalm 50:16 and Psalm 69:1) are used as opening prayers for the hours, and are thus repeated every day, or even, in the case of the Deus in adjutorium verse, at almost every hour for most of the year.

Secondly, a number of psalms repeated every day at particular hours, namely:

And thirdly, nine of the Gradual Psalms (Psalms 119-127) are said on five days of the week from Terce to None.History, speculation and spiritualityIn ordering the psalter, St Benedict evidently took his cue from traditions that saw certain psalms as particularly fitted to particular hours, and thought some so important as to warrant daily repetition. In some cases, his choices reflected ancient traditions - the use of Psalm 50 and the Laudate psalms at Lauds for example seems to have early universal very early on.In other cases though, the choices seem to have been more deliberate.One popular theory is that St Benedict actually started from the ordering of the psalter used by Roman Churches of his time, adjusting it to give it more variety. It is certainly a plausible theory, but essentially unprovable since there are no surviving Office books or psalter schemas that survive from that era. Nonetheless, the Roman Office as it has come down to us shares at least some of the repeated psalms of the Benedictine Office in common, namely Psalm 94 at Matins; Psalms 66, 50 and 148-150 at Lauds; and Psalms 4, 90 and 133 at Compline. The Roman Office, however, at least until it was thoroughly 'updated' under Pope St Pius X in 1911, contained far more repetitions than the Benedictine, for Psalms 118, 53 and 30 were all said daily in the older form of the Roman Office.These differences, I would suggest, are important, for what things are or aren't regularly repeated surely help develop a particular spiritual mindset. Some modern Benedictines, though retaining the weekly psalter, have sought to eliminate many of the repetitions, taking their permission from Chapter 18. It seems to me, however, more consistent with the Vatican II direction to retain the patrimony of religious orders (Perfectae Caritatis 2b), to devote some consideration to just why St Benedict decided that certain psalms (and certain verses) were so important and/or so appropriate to a particular hour that they should be repeated frequently.The comments below consider the reasons for the repetitions in the context of the particular hours in which they occur.

St
Benedict made it clear, in his Rule, that the symbolism of light and darkness
were extremely important to him. In
particular, he devotes an entire chapter to the timing of the Divine Office at
night (Matins, or Vigils), in order to ensure that the monks rose early enough to enable Lauds to
be said at first light.

The long night Vigil, however, in which
the monk keeps watch through the darkness of the literal and metaphorical
night, reflects the particular Office of the monk in dispelling the darkness on behalf
of us all. Unsurprisingly
then, Matins is the workhorse of the Benedictine Office, easily the longest
'hour' of the day, almost as long, most
days of the week, as all the other hours combined due to its twelve variable psalms to be said each day.St Benedict manages to pack a lot of symbolism though, into the repeated psalmody of the hour. Firstly, the start of Matins marks the end of the overnight 'great silence' that starts after Compline. How appropriate then, that the first words the monk or nun says each day is a plea for God to allow him to speak in praise of him:

The first full psalm of the hour, Psalm 3, also includes a verse that can be taken very literally - though it also has an important spiritual meaning as we shall see - in a reference to waking from sleep:

I have slept and taken my rest: and I have risen up, because the
Lord hath protected me

Psalm 3, though, is primarily a call to take up the spiritual warfare at the start of the new day, a reminder that the battle will not end until we are in heaven. It is not accidental, in my view, that St Benedict's Rule also opens with a call to become spiritual warriors for Christ.The second invitatory, Psalm 94, is a joyful invitation to worship our creator, redeemer and protector, but also contains an important warning not to put off repentance, but to respond to God’s call here and now should we here it. It is worth noting that this psalm features in the Prologue to St Benedict's Rule, so it's appearance here too, is unlikely to be a coincidence. The psalm may also be significant for another reason: its verse recalling the forty years the Israelites spent wandering in the desert before being allowed to enter the Promised Land is mirrored in the forty psalms said each in the Benedictine Office (assuming you count the Laudate psalms individually).You can find detailed notes on the daily psalms of Matins through the links below.Psalm 3:

Psalm 94:

"May
God cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us" (Psalm 66)

In the Roman
Office, Lauds is very closely linked to Matins, and often said effectively as
one hour. In the Monastic Office,
however, St Benedict envisages there being a break between the two hours. In winter he envisages this break being quite
long, providing time for study of the psalms and
lessons for those who needed it (RB8); in summer it is just a break for 'the
necessities of nature'. The reason
for the break is simple: Lauds was to be carefully timed so that it begins at
first light, and thus take in dawn. The rising of the sun, then, symbolises the
Resurrection of the Son. So important
is the connection with the time of day for this hour that St Benedict even
instructs his monks to cut short the readings of Matins if necessary in order
to ensure that Lauds is said at its proper time.

In keeping
with this symbolism, both the psalms and the proper canticle for the hour, the
Benedictus (from St Luke), link the hour symbolically to the 'almost/but not
yet' time we live in - after the Coming of Our Lord, but before the Kingdom is
fully realised on earth with his return in glory to judge the earth.

The hymns and
psalms of Lauds focus on preparing for and rejoicing at the coming of the
sun/Son, and its hymns and psalms contain many references to the dawn and the
morning, and the coming light. Overall, the flavour of the hour is one of anticipation and joy at the coming dawn.

Lauds is the
longest of the day hours in the Benedictine Office, with seven psalms and two
canticles assigned to it. The hour
itself is somewhat unusual compared to the rest of the Office in that five of those psalms - Psalms 66, 50, 148, 149
and 150 - are repeated every day. The
fixed psalms are, therefore, obviously very important in setting the flavour of
this hour.

The repeated psalms of Matins, I would suggest, are essentially ones of preparation, seeking to inculcate the right attitude to the coming day in us. The repeated psalms of Lauds, though, have more of a focus on action.

The hour
always starts (after the Deus in Adjutorium) with Psalm 66, a beautiful psalm asking
for God's blessing to come upon us. Psalm 66 is though, above all a prayer for
the mission of the Church, the blessing requested is for our work so that 'all peoples may confess God's name'.

The second
psalm, the Miserere acknowledges our sinful state, and begs God's forgiveness
of our sins. The Miserere is the most
famous of the penitential psalms, and also the most beautiful, not least for
its glimmers of light as it begs God to 'give us back the joy of salvation'. But again, as well as being a call to repentance it also has a focus on mission, for example asking for the grace to 'teach thy ways to evil-doers'.

The psalmody
of Lauds always ends on a joyful note, with the Laudate or ‘rejoicing’
psalms, from the very end of the psalter, which have always been interpreted by Christians as our response to the Resurrection. The really key verse, I would suggest, comes right in the middle, in Psalm 149:6, which teaches that the mission of the faithful is twofold: firstly to worship God, and secondly to advance the Gospel in the world (the sword is the word of God, its two edges the Old and New Testaments):

Introduction to Psalm 150Psalm 150 v1-2Psalm 150 v3-5aPsalm 150 v5bTERCE TO NONE: THE ASCENT OF GRACE
One of the most distinctive features of the Benedictine Office is the use of nine of the Gradual Psalms (Psalm 119-127) at Terce to None from Tuesday to Saturday. St Benedict's use of the Gradual Psalms is interesting, because they fit particularly well with the other psalmody of Tuesday, the first day of the week on which they are said, but also form part of the repeated framework of the day hours.

These psalms are thought to have been sung liturgically as the pilgrims ascended the fifteen steps of the Temple in Jerusalem on major feasts, as well as being pilgrim songs. The Fathers saw them, though, as tracing the mystical ascent of the Christian in the spiritual life in imitation of Christ, who shows us how to climb Jacob’s ladder to heaven and grow in virtue.

You can find links to detailed notes on the Gradual Psalms, together with a commentary on the reasons for their positioning in the Benedictine Office here.

COMPLINE: INTO GREAT SILENCE

Compline is the only hour in the Benedictine Office that remains the same every day (the Marian antiphon aside). Said last thing in the evening, it teaches us how to deal with the darkness that inevitably surrounds us in this world, as well as the darkness and dangers of the literal night itself.

The structure of Compline is described in St Benedict’s Rule in Chapters 17 and 18, however over time the hour has been elaborated somewhat with the addition at the beginning of a new ‘opening section’ that includes a short reading warning of the dangers of the night and an examination of conscience and confession of sins; at the end with a Marian antiphon and prayer. The three psalms set for it are Psalms 4, 90 and 133.

Like Psalm 3 that opens the day, Psalm 4 contains verses that makes it particularly appropriate to the hour, indeed one that is in effect response to the verse on rising from sleep in Psalm 3:

9 In pace in
idípsum * dórmiam et requiéscam;

In peace in
the self same I will sleep, and I will rest

10 Quóniam tu,
dómine, singuláriter in spe * constituísti me.

For you, O Lord,
singularly have settled me in hope.

The psalm calls upon us to repent of the sins of the day; asks God to grant us forgiveness and the grace to do better in future; and asks for God’s blessing on our sleep.

Psalm 90 is most commonly associated with Our Lord's temptation in the desert in the Gospels, and provides reassurance of God’s protection of the just against all the dangers that can arise. The first section of the psalm sets out the promise of divine protection that God grants to the faithful. It closes with words put in the mouth of God. One particular reason its use may have appealed to St Benedict is the allusion to God as our 'susceptor' or sustainer, upholder, a word (which also appears in Psalm 3) that was particularly important in the monastic tradition, not least for its associations with the Suscipe verse (Psalm 118:116) used in the monastic profession ceremony.

The last psalm of the each day, Psalm 133 is also the last of the Gradual psalms, and at the literal level, this psalm is a summons to worship at night, and give God thanks for the blessings of the day. Spiritually though, it points to our ultimate destination in heaven, where the worship of God never ends. It concludes by requesting a blessing from God on us. You can find links to notes on the daily psalms of Compline through the links below.

Monday, April 28, 2014

This is just a quick note to let readers know that I plan to resume my psalm notes series this week, with a look at some of the psalms that are frequently repeated in the Benedictine Divine Office.

The repeated psalms of the Office

Before Easter someone asked me if I'd take a look at Psalm 94, one of the two invitatory psalms for Matins in the Benedictine Office, also said daily in the older forms of the Roman Office.

I've also previously indicated that I plan to look at the Gradual Psalms.

Accordingly, I thought that this might in fact be a timely point to look at the full set of daily (or frequently said) psalms in the Benedictine Office. My plan then, subject to my own time constraints, is to look first at those psalms said daily in the Office, viz:

Psalm 3 (just one post on this as I've previously provided verse by verse notes);

My thinking is then to take a look at the Gradual Psalms, particularly focusing on Psalms 119-127 said at Terce to None on Tuesday to Saturday; and Psalm 133 said at Compline each day.

Feedback

Before I get started though, please do feel free to provide any feedback on anything to do with the blog.

I'd particularly appreciate any comments on things like:

Frequency of posts - I'm thinking of posting every second day for example, does that sound about right?

Are there any particular things you'd like to see included in the notes (or left out/less of)?

Any explanatory notes on my approach needed?

Any particular psalms (or sets of psalms) you'd like me to consider looking at in future? My plan at the moment is to get back, eventually, to the psalms of the day hours from Thursday to Saturday, focusing particularly on Vespers, but I'm open to other suggestions (for example going back to fill in verse by verse notes on some of the psalms I've only provided overviews of).

And in the meantime...

You might also find my series on lectio divina this week over at my other blog of interest, not least because it includes some examples on the psalms.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Every Sunday, Matins in the Benedictine Office is celebrated as something of a mini-Easter Vigil, with a set of psalms focused on the Resurrection, and a third nocturn consisting of three canticles. In Eastertide, the celebration of the Resurrection becomes even more intense, with the canticles particularly focused on that subject. Accordingly, this post takes a look at the first of the three, which comes from Isaiah 63.

This is one of those texts whose connections
to the Resurrection looks, at first glance at least, obscure to modern
eyes.

Yet its association with it is attested
to by Scripture itself, for Revelation 19 draws heavily on this canticle (see
also Rev 14:19-20):

"11 Then, in my vision, heaven
opened, and I saw a white horse appear. Its rider bore for his title, the
Faithful, the True; he judges and goes to battle in the cause of right. 12 His
eyes were like flaming fire, and on his brow were many royal diadems; the name
written there is one that only he knows. 13 He went clad in a garment deep dyed with blood, and the name by which
he is called is the Word of God;14 the armies of heaven followed him,
mounted on white horses, and clad in linen, white and clean. 15 From
his mouth came a two-edged sword, ready to smite the nations; he will herd them
like sheep with a crook of iron. He
treads out for them the wine-press, whose wine is the avenging anger of
almighty God. 16 And this title is written on his cloak, over his
thigh, The King of kings, and the Lord of lords." (Knox translation)

Decoding
the canticle

Unsurprisingly then the passage was the
subject of numerous commentaries by the Fathers, including Tertullian (d. 220),
Origen (d. 254), Cyprian (d. 258), Cyril of Jerusalem (d. 386), Cyril of
Alexandria (d. 444) as well as many of the later Fathers. Accordingly, it is worth drawing
on their decoding of the key references.

In verse 1, Edom was taken not as a reference
to the place, but as meaning both red or bloody, and 'of the earth' - so who is
it who comes from the earth is a reference to the Resurrection of Christ.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

The listing of the penitential psalms - Psalm 6, Psalm 31 (32), 37 (38), 50 (51), 101 (102), 129 (130) and 142 (143) - was firmed up by Cassiodorus, a sixth century contemporary of St Benedict. You can find the full text of all of the set here.

The Penitential Psalms were traditionally prayed communally each day during Lent - indeed, Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) ordered them to be prayed at this time.

You can find them with the antiphon normally used in most missals, or in the Monastic Diurnal.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

In the previous part of this mini-series, I looked at verses 11&12 of Psalm 142, and suggested that the psalmist’s pleas to be delivered from his enemies was to be accomplished in large part by his learning to do God’s will, and guidance by the Holy Spirit. Those verses provide some context for the verses I want to look at today by way of conclusion of this Lent series, namely the last two verses of the psalm – and thus of all of the penitential psalms – which contain a further plea for God’s help.

At first glance, verses 13 and 14 present problems to the modern reader, since they sound awfully like a request for God to do some smiting! And while we might all feel the desire for that to occur from time to time, we know full well that in fact we are called on to forgive our enemies, and to return good for evil. So how should we reconcile these seemingly conflicting messages?

The text

First let’s take another look at the verses themselves. Here is the Vulgate (which is identical to the neo-Vulgate):

The key verbs here are all in the subjunctive, making them a pleas or request: educare
means to lead out, bring or draw forth; disperdere means to destroy,
or destroy utterly. Hence a literal
translation of this verse would be something like: ‘may you bring
my soul (animam meam) out of distress/trouble (de tribulatione),
and in your mercy/kindness/compassion (misericordia) destroy my enemies
(inimicos meos)

educo, duxi, ductum, ere 3, to lead
out or forth.

disperdo, didi, ditum, ere 3, to destroy, destroy utterly.

DR

You will bring
my soul out of trouble: And in your mercy you will destroy my enemies.

ie: And (et) you will destroy (perdes) all (omnes) those who trouble/afflict (qui tribulant) my soul, because (quoniam) I am (ego sum) your servant (servus tuus)’.

perdo, didi, ditum, ere 3, to destroy

DR

And you will cut
off all them that afflict my soul: for I am your servant.

Brenton

and wilt destroy
all those that afflict my soul; for I am thy servant.

MD

And destroy all
who afflict my soul: because I am Thy servant

Cover

And destroy all them that vex my soul; for I am thy servant.

Who are our enemies?

We shouldn't, in my view, back away from the idea of praying for the defeat of actual physical enemies here, whether they be personal, enemies of the Church, or of our country. The harsh reality is that evil can and does get worked through others. We shouldn’t be afraid to pray that someone who is hurting us or others be stopped from doing so!

Of course, our prayer must be, first and foremost, that they be converted.

And we must genuinely seek to forgive them for what they do to us and others.

Forgiving someone though, doesn’t mean letting them continue to sin! Accordingly, it is important to keep in mind that praying for the defeat of evil and those who oppress us by whatever direct or indirect means God chooses to employ, or helps us to employ, is perfectly legitimate.

Nonetheless, in the context of the penitential psalms, our primary focus should be first and foremost on the mote in our own eye! The enemy in this context is not so much others: for we can accept bear their attacks as part of our penance, or offer up our sufferings at their hands for others.

But we must also focus, especially during this Lenten season, on overcoming our own weaknesses, bad habits, faults and sins. And we shouldn't hesitate to ask God's help in this most personal of battles.

The previous psalms, as well as the earlier verses of this psalm teach us the other weapons we must employ: work to develop a strong and deep sense of contrition; go to confession, tell all of our sins, and be absolved; do our penance and more; study, meditate and contemplate God's works; and submit ourselves to God's will and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Of course, in this battle, it is also important to keep in mind that not all of our faults come from within ourselves: we are also engaged in a spiritual warfare waged against powers and principalities; so call too for God's help in the form of our own guardian angel's interventions.

We should pray too, for final perseverance, for above all, these verses reminds us of God’s promise that evil will eventually be defeated and good vindicated, if not in this life, then in the next.

And you will cut
off all them that afflict my soul: for I am your servant.

Ne reminiscaris Domine...

I want to conclude this series not with another version of the psalm for you to listen to, but with the antiphon used at the end of the penitential psalms. Here, it is in an English setting by Purcell.

The first half of the setting is simply a translation of the Catholic liturgical text:

Let thy loving Spirit lead me forth into the land of
righteousness. Quicken me, O Lord, for thy

Name’s sake; and for thy righteousness’ sake

The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

Hildegarde von Bingen, creation

The existence of the Holy Ghost is of course foreshadowed in the Old Testament: in the spirit that hovers over the waters at the time of creation. The clearest prophesy of the life of grace that the psalmist is asking for here though, is surely those famous verses from Ezekiel, featured at the last World Youth Day.

St Robert Bellarmine comments:

“That good Spirit is the Holy Ghost, who is essentially good, and through whom "the charity of God is poured out into our hearts;" and this it is that makes us wish to work and carry out our wishes; and it is of it Ezechiel speaks when he says, "And I will put my Spirit in the midst of you, and I will cause you to walk in my commandments." This good Spirit "shall lead me into the right land;" in that plain and direct road, the Lord's law, which is most plain and direct The "right land" may also mean our country above, where all is right and straight, and nothing distorted or crooked. "For thy name's sake thou wilt quicken me in thy justice." To show us that justification, which is a sort of spiritual resuscitation, is not to be had from our own merits, but from the gratuitous gift of God, he adds, "For thy name's sake," for the glory that will accrue to you by the gift of so much grace, "thou wilt quicken me in thy justice."

Indeed, each of the seven penitential psalms can readily be associated with one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, no doubt one of the reasons why the Catechism of the Catholic Church in fact cites this verse in relation to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit:

CCC 1831: “The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God . . . If children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.”

Defeating our enemies with the help of grace

I deliberately skipped over the first half of verse 11 above, which is the lead in to the request to be taught obedience and given the guidance of the Holy Ghost. In fact, it says:

11a

V/NV

Eripe me de inimícis meis, Dómine, ad te confúgi:

JH

Libera me de inimicis meis, Domine: a te
protectus sum.

confugio, fugi, ere 3, to flee for refuge or
succor, to take sanctuary.

DR

Deliver me from
my enemies, O Lord, to you have I fled:

Brenton

Deliver me from
mine enemies, O Lord; for I have fled to thee for refuge.